Birds on Lough Neagh
Designated as a special protection area Lough Neagh and its surrounding islands provide a multitude of vital habitats for birdlife. The lough is a particularly important refuge for winter migrating birds, but it has seen a steep decline in the numbers of tufted duck, goldeneye and pochard visiting it in recent years. Steven Fyffe from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Sorrel Lyall from the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) explain more about Lough Neagh’s importance for our bird population.
Sorrel goes on to explain why the contribution of volunteers, who undertake the Wetland Bird survey is so important in understanding what is happening to bird populations on Lough Neagh and elsewhere.
The views and opinions on the subject of this video content are those of the contributors.
Why Lough Neagh is so important for birds
Did you know Lough Neagh supports over 20,000 species of wildfowl?
Steven Fyffe from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency explains why Lough Neagh is so important for birds and why it’s designated as a special protection area.
Lough Neagh: an all-year round refuge for birds
With its multitude of vital habitats Lough Neagh is a refuge for birdlife. Sorrel Lyall of BTO explains the why Lough Neagh is important for birds all year round from diving ducks in the winter to small birds like warblers that come to Lough Neagh in the summer to breed.
The importance of Wetland Bird Surveys and volunteers
Would you like to help our wetland birds? Sorrel Lyall from the BTO explains why the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) is so important in understanding what is happening with our wetland birds such as tufted ducks and pochards.
This survey wouldn’t be possible without volunteers – find out how you can get involved at Taking part | BTO.